Yarn, Over.

The next time I lecture my kids about the virtue of not completing projects at the last minute, I fully expect a bolt of lightening to strike me down. I finished Bijou on Saturday morning on the way to the Five Counties competition. I had stayed up until 1:00am the night before completing the crochet edging and darning in a few ends.

I really love her. Much more than most projects I complete at first. I typically need some time apart from items I've been so involved with for so long to forget where all the little mistakes are and to adjust to the reality of the item - rather than the fantasy. Since this project was intended to be a creative collaboration with a friend, combining the two hand spun yarns (mine and Hope's) was my way of expressing that theme.

Here are the project details:

Pattern: Bijou by Marnie MacLean Winter 2008 Twist Collective

Yarn: My friend's hand spun sport weight in a hand paint combined with my 2 ply lace weight in an indigo blue by Tactile Fiber Arts.

• The pattern is a joy to knit. Done in the round with waist shaping and bust darts made with short rows.


• The lace is not complicated and makes a nice fabric that's not too sheer.
• The flutter sleeves are a feminine touch and the construction of the sleeves was a lot of fun.

I wore Bijou to work today with a denim skirt and it looked nice for the office yet would be perfect for a special dinner out too. She got a lot of attention at the competition but alas - no prizes. That's OK -the "F.O. glow" is seeing me through.

No Pressure

If this were a baseball game, it would be the top of the ninth with the game tied. I have 12 days (actually 11 since we can't count the day of the fair) to finish Bijou. The theme is friendship and collaboration. The project - Bijou by Marnie McClean using my handspun in an indigo blue merino/tencel roving from Tactile Fiber Arts and my friend's handspun in a handpaint. The event is the Five Counties Guild competition coming up in a couple of weeks.

The lace section was a bugger but once I got it through my thick skull, it went quickly. The star pattern gives quite a bit of coverage so it won't be as sheer as I thought it would. Just two sleeves, a bit of crochet finish around the neck, some buttons and she'll be ready for the competition. This is one pretty pattern!

Here is Judy modeling Bijou in process.

Judy has a great body so the brilliant shaping Marnie's incorporated into this design really show well on the dress form.

I'm also a short-row shoulder convert after seeing how nicely these worked up.

I know I've squawked frequently about the cost of the Twist patterns but they are very detailed and well worth the money. (There - I've said it).

After Bijou, Cobblestone and Roam are on deck for finishing so stay tuned for an "FOpalooza"

Twist and Shout

The first anniversary edition of Twist Collective launched today. Yowza! Wowza! and any other "owza" that comes to mind. Talk about hitting it out of the park! I must say, When Twist first launched, I wasn't sure how an online knitting magazine would appeal to my senses. After all, getting that publication in my hands and sitting back with a nice glass of wine to turn the pages had become a ritual. I can say that the inaugural issue was beautiful and for the most part, the other issues this year have delivered too. The photography is enticing and the patterns are beautifully laid out. I like buying patterns online however - buying more than one or two at a time becomes a costly exercise. Therein lies the problem with the Fall 2009 issue of Twist.

I want EVERY freaking pattern in the darn thing.

When the sneak peeks were released a couple of weeks ago - I fell hard for the Low Tide Ripples pullover. I have in stash some Ivy Brambles merino super wash in a beautiful lilac colourway called Aster. Now that the issue's been released, I also really want: Ysolda Teague's Vine Yoke Cardigan. This is gorgeous and that Karabella Soft Tweed I have that was intended for the Sunrise Circle Jacket (I've long since gotten over wanting to make that) could be beautiful in this design!!!! Given the wine-centric focus of this blog, I think a "Vine Yoke sweater" is a must. Audrey in Unst won't be at the top of my queue right now but that photography is brilliant! The red sweater against the blue brick wall...stunning. Mimico rocks and I love the shades of blue. Cottage Garden is another favourite and so is Paula. My Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca silk in the Mother of Pearl colourway may work for this. Loreli would look wonderful in that Silky Malibrigo I have stashed. Papineau is drool worthy and I'm itching to try the new St. Denis yarn. Twigs and Leaves cardigan maybe would work for something in stash. I love the rustic look and the leather tie. Last but not least, Marnie McClean's Pas de Valse really shows its stuff in the thumbnail images sporting different ways to wear this cardigan. I love it but can I stand that much stockinette???

Speaking of Marnie McClean, I have some pictures of Bijou which is her design from the Winter 2009 issue of Twist. I'm making this out of a strand of my friend Hope's hand spun hand paint (say that 10 times real fast) and a strand of my lace weight. Here is Judy modeling the body thus far. The shaping is wonderful. It's the first time I've used short rows to create bust darts and I'm a convert! The only thing with hand painted yarn is that short row shaping creates a wee bit of pooling. I don't think it detracts from the design here. In fact, I think it creates a wider band right where I'd like to look slim so I'm quite happy. I will now begin the lace portion of the yoke so the fun begins!!! Stay tuned ladies and gents - I'm on a deadline with this one so time is of the essence.

So thank you Twist for an issue that will be spoken about with the same reverence as Rowan 10 and 20. I want them all but I can't buy them all at once. Damn! At $7.00 per pattern, only serious contenders will make the cut.

My son overheard me looking at the issue this morning. As I looked at each design I swore under my breath because it became clear to me that I was loving them all. When he asked what was wrong I tried to explain why liking them all upset me. "Honey, what if you walked into a video game store and EVERY game there was great and you wanted it? That's what this feels like to me". "No problem," he countered. "I would buy the one I wanted first and then get the others one by one. I would assume they would still be there when I wanted them."

Ah, it sucks when the student surpasses the teacher doesn't it? Thanks Grasshopper.

Fantasy Island
Forgive my infrequent posting to this blog...my trusty computer was fried by a lightening strike mid July and then I left for my yearly sojourn to visit my dad on Vancouver Island. In addition to looking forward to spending time with my father, BC has been basking in the sun regularly this summer whilst we here in Ontario have been enduring a summer that sucks beyond all reason. I was also extremely excited to be meeting up with two dear "comrades in yarns" on Salt Spring Island. We had planned a day of visiting with each other and haunting fibre shops - specifically Treenway Silks and Jane Stafford's studio.


On the appointed day, my father deposited me on foot at the ferry dock to revel in the sunbathed deck during the 20 minute voyage to Salt Spring. As I gazed over the railing at my destination - I felt the pull of the three things I was longing to see.

I had just treated myself to the Kowloon cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio. This pattern is a treat and working on it during the ferry ride was a pleasure. Gail picked me up at the ferry and we trekked over to the other ferry dock to collect Mel who'd come in from Vancouver. We had a lovely morning visiting over lattes and then located Treenway Silks. I was set on acquiring a beautiful silk scarf kit for weaving in blacks and ivories and they did have it in stock. We stopped for some lunch in town (it was a scorching hot day!) and then set off for Jane Stafford's weaving studio. We arrived about 2 hours before closing but Jane had stepped out to take a friend of hers to the ferry. Thank goodness we had Gail with us who whipped out her ace negotiating skills and convinced the woman minding the shop to let us in to "browse". Kid meet candy store! Looms in every corner and beautiful cottons, bamboos (looks just like silk) and books and toys galore. Since we took so long browsing, it happened that Jane arrived back from her errand and we spent another hour or so picking her (very substantial) brain about weaving. My bucket list includes going back to her studio for a workshop! What a wealth of information she is. I bought the yarns to make this Huck lace scarf from an old issue of Handwoven.


After a lovely dinner and glass or two of wine, it was time to take the ferry back to the island. We enlisted a fellow traveler to take a picture of the three of us. The ride back was wonderful complete with warm summer breezes, twinkling stars and beautiful scenery.




The rest of the trip was just as wonderful. We fished and caught some Spring Salmon. Nothing tastes like salmon cooked the day it's caught! I had a lovely Pinot Noir with it.



I did some knitting on the Kowloon cardigan and bought some beautiful Czech glass buttons in Victoria with a rose shade to complement the berry coloured Flaxen yarn. I'll post more about this project later. I'm loving it.



Before we could turn around twice it was time to go back to reality - and the rainy weather. My thought is to haul out these beautiful yarns, cook a piece of that lovely salmon and turn on the Ott light to approximate the BC sun the next time the dreary weather gets me down. Just maybe I can re create a little piece of my wonderful trip.

New sheep on the block

I love marketing. I admit it - the art of product story-telling amuses the shit out of me. I guess that's why I love my job (all the wine not withstanding).

When I saw the new Spud and Chloe line at Needle Emporium, my inner marketer stood up and cheered. At last - some innovation.

Spud and Chloe is a sub brand of the Blue Sky Alpacas parent brand. (Note to self - never choose a company name that defines you in too narrow a sector). By creating the Spud and Chloe brand, they can now launch "non Alpaca" fibres to their heart's content. The logo is cheeky and whimsical. I'm a sucker for red-headed girls who like sheep.

The patterns are packaged like sewing patterns on one large 11 x 17 inch sheet which folds into a paper sleeve. I wasn't sure I'd like this format but it's great for making a copy to mark up and carry around with you. I always wrestle with the Rowan books when I make copies for my knitting bag. There's even a section to make notes.

The designs strike a nice balance between classic and cheeky. My personal favourites are this bulky weight cardigan which may nicely fit with some Adrianne Vittadini Mimi I have in stash. Also, this hooded vest is very cute but my favourite is this wave pullover in shades of brown, burnt orange, teal and lime green. I must confess...I bought the yarn for this one.

The yarns are also classic with a twist. The fingering weight yarn is called "Fine" and is a merino/silk blend that is super wash. It's very soft and the Wave pullover I bought uses it. The Aran weight is called "Sweater" and is a wool/cotton blend and the bulky weight is dubbed "Outer" and is also a wool/cotton blend.

The patterns are stored in a cool branded filing box with dividers that are labelled according to the yarn it uses. Nice touch marketing department!!!!

I'm guessing BSA is targeting those younger knitters who have made their umpteenth novelty scarf and are ready for garments. I think the patterns will have broader appeal though this little cardigan feels young to me (though I do love it). Julie is having a store sample made of it in different colours so once I see it in the flesh - I may feel differently.

Is Spud and Chloe all gimmick/no substance? I don't think so at all. This is where the industry needs to go. Give us great, easy to care for yarns with innovative pattern support and you'll "have us at hello".

Down the Rabbit Hole


I have an FO to announce! My first woven article (a scarf) is complete. As I blogged about earlier, this was a project that I completely underestimated. I thought it looked easy but in fact, it was a multicoloured, multi-fibre warp with fairly complex tie-ups and treadling. I just really liked the picture and since I've developed an affection for Tolani scarves, I'm all about trying to create my own similar effect.


Project Name: Turned M's and O's Scarf
Designer: Emilie Pritchard
Source: Handwoven Magazine November/December 2004 issue
Materials: 8/2 mercerized cotton black, teal and tan, chenille in natural, warp
10/2 pearl cotton white for the weft.
From: Camilla Valley



I ended up cutting off the first 20 inches I wove because I was missing a few threads from one of the sections and it was thinner than the rest. I still had the threads hanging off the back of the loom so I was able to do some re-threading and tie on again to get the pattern correct.



I had a brief heart attack when after cutting off the erroneous piece I realized that "loom waste" included tieing on and getting started again but fortunately, my guild mentor who helped me measure the warp had given me an extra yard or so. Whew - lesson learned.


The true beauty of the piece comes when you wash it and those straight panels of pattern shift around and make the oval shapes. The fabric really softened up too.


I admit it - I'm smitten with this new hobby. I'm so glad I got the 8 shaft Baby Wolf too!


I wrote to Schacht to ask a technical question last week and gushed at how much I was enjoying the loom.


They wrote back a lovely explanation to my question with the following opening line


"Welcome weaver!"

Putting on the Ritz

My blogging has taken a back seat to a few other distractions lately. Next post I will have some finished objects to show off so there has been progress! However, for the last couple of weeks Chez Veritas has been busy preparing for twin sons Butch and Sundance to graduate from high school. This particular institution does it "old school" complete with girls in flowing white dresses and boys in white dinner jackets and bow ties. My dad came to visit from BC for the blessed event and helped the boys with their bow ties, cumber buns and cuff links.

The ceremony was 3 hours long (it's a big high school) but the kids looked so great and they were so full of energy and excitement. Don't you remember feeling the excitement of your whole life open ahead of you?

Mine was one of about 5 cameras snapping pictures so I only got a few after the ceremony. The boys were itching to get home and get out of the monkey suits so I had to snap quickly. Here they are with their dad. Not the best shot of him but I had to beg all 3 of them to take "just one more picture."

You can take the boy out of the playground but you can't take the playground out of the boy! I hope they always have a touchof "imp" left in them.

The Path Less Travelled

I think I know why I suddenly wanted to learn how to weave. I think I wasn't pushing myself enough with my knitting. While my current knitting projects are very wearable, they aren't exactly challenging. Zen knitting I told myself. I've got projects on the needles with minimal shaping, neutral colours and simple stitches. Blech! They will be lovely when they're done but it's like a stroll down a suburban sidewalk versus a hike through the wilderness. I'll take the wilderness anytime.

When I got the Baby Wolf loom; I chose a project that called for the equipment I had. Six shafts, 12 dent reed etc. Sure the warp was multicoloured but how hard could it be? I fell in love with this scarf from a Nov/Dec 2004 issue of Handwoven. I started winding the warp at the guild and another older member took pity on me and helped me. She wouldn't let me quit and when it was finally on the loom she said "That's the most complicated warp I've ever done in 30 years of weaving". Figures I choose it for my first project.

I carefully threaded the heddles. Of course, I ran out of heddles on two of the shafts and had to perform a midterm "heddle transplant". I took about six weeks to get the warp all set up and then last night, I was finally ready to weave. A quick check of the peddles lifted the threads highlighting two crossed threads so I was able to fix that quickly. I gingerly started down the pattern and after an hour of weaving - I had this!! It's always so cool when it looks like the pattern. Once the scarf is washed, the chenille threads will shift as will the others and the rounded curves will be revealed.

The thrill of learning something new has reminded me that I need to choose challenging knitting projects. No Zen here!

Remind me of this next time I get in over my head and start whining.

EZ Does It

"Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crisis"

Elizabeth Zimmerman (EZ)

I must admit that when I've thought of this quote by Elizabeth Zimmerman over the years I thought she meant to use knitting as a distraction from one's troubles. A kind of "Grannie on the Bugs Bunny Show" approach where one knits blissfully as the world crashes down around you.

I now know exactly what she really meant.

It's been a challenging year this 2009. On top of all the global issues, in February I learned of the tragic loss of a former co-worker in a plane crash. Then last month a dear friend and next door neighbour of twenty years died in a car accident. Both were men in their forties with families and communities depending on them. It just doesn't make sense.

It's times like these that make us reach for our knitting as a way to soothe ourselves and when I found myself thinking one day "I have nothing to knit" - I knew something was wrong. Like any rabid knitter; I'm rich with projects. Upon closer examination, I realized that all of my projects had hit a transition point. All of them required me to step out of my comfort zone and shift to the next leg of the journey. I suspect that this is what causes many projects to languish So - I embarked upon a "pushing through the transition" binge.

I sewed up the shoulder seams and picked up the neckline for the hood on Roam. I've never knitted a hood before. This baby is in the home stretch.

I started on the sleeves of the Americo Simple Cardigan in lovely grey Alpaca. This is a store sample. The yarn is wonderful and the pattern is very straightforward. I am looking forward to finishing it.

I cast on for Bijou by Marnie McLean. This will be a combination of my friend Hope's hand spun (merino/tencel) blend and my hand spun in a merino/tencel laceweight in Indigo from Tactile Fiber Arts. The braid of merino/tencel there is from the Sweet Sheep and will be spun to match Hope's hand spun to blend in with hers.

I plied the Shetland/Pygora/Silk blend from Hopeful Shetlands. This is a 3 ply chained ply that should knit up to a worsted weight. I'm thinking of either Amanda or Espresso from A Fine Fleece.

I even pushed on to thread the heddles of my Baby Wolf to make this lovely scarf. This is my first project.

It's clear to me now that Elizabeth Zimmerman knew that knitting is a metaphor for life. If we can tackle a short row or tricky collar pick up then maybe, just maybe those small successes can spill over into other areas of our lives and we can push on through.

I like that it's never too late to have an "Ah, ha" moment.

Chasing Cars

I *HEART* my baby wolf.

Actually, I heart both my baby wolves - the one you see to the right and the one that taunts me.

One sunny summer day when I was 8 years old, my family was riding in our 1972 Datsun station wagon in the country. A hound dog came bounding out from a bush by the side of the road where he had been waiting for a car to pass so he could chase it. As the dog ran along side of us barking, my father decided to play along and so he brought the car to a complete stop. The dog was so caught off guard by this (he almost bonked his head on the rear tire when he stopped so quickly) that he sat there puzzled for a few minutes pondering his options. "Now that I've caught this object of my affection - what the heck do I do? Do I bury it? Chew it? Lick it?" He eventually trotted away, ears and tail dropping in defeat.

I know exactly how that dog feels.

I'm pleased to announce that "the loom is in the house". After much consideration, I decided to purchase a loom. Resistance is futile. I'm enjoying the weaving lessons so much that I know I will want to weave - serious weaving. I know Schacht makes a great product and my Matchless wheel has been a perfect fit for me. The Baby Wolf Loom by Schacht had everything I wanted - power without being too mammoth. When I found one at Shuttleworks in Calgary that had all the elements I wanted (8 shafts with high castle), I decided to go for it. (Don't look now but they've created a walnut Baby Wolf for their 40th anniversary).

My husband picked it up at the trucking depot and brought it up to the "loom room" for me. After his part was done, he looked at me and said "Now what?"

The Schacht booklet that comes with the loom tells you how to assemble it but that's all. We got as far as we could on our own and then a generous guild member helped me put the rest of it together. I did get the Deborah Chandler book Learning to Weave and it's excellent. I did wind a warp at my weaving lessons but that whole lesson is a blur and the loom I'm using for lessons is quite different.

This much I know. Once the warping reel, raddle and video (maybe actually seeing it again will help) arrive - I'll be venturing into uncharted territory. I shall prevail.

Or

Maybe I'll just bury it in the backyard.

Acting our Age

I've been taking weaving lessons. My teacher is a retired Home-Ec teacher who told me to just come over straight from work every Monday night - she would make me dinner. I was so there.

When she told me I'd be sleying the reed on the loom. I got all excited. Wow! This hobby is way more exciting than people give it credit for I thought. Turns out...THIS is sleying - in weaving terms anyway.

The great thing about my spinning and weaving guild is that I feel so young. The average age is about 62 so I clock in on the low end. That is...until "the kid" showed up. No, really...she's thirteen years old. When she arrived at the guild meeting with her mother, I thought "poor kid's been dragged to this meeting by her fibre addicted mom." Turns out it was the other way around. This young lady is willowy, blond with intelligent deep brown eyes and the soul of an artist. As we were weaving together at our last lesson I was thinking how beautiful she would be in about 2 or 3 years. Let's see - bright, polite, pretty and loves the fibre arts. Why she'd make a perfect daughter in law. I began plotting in my mind how I could convince my twin teen aged sons to drop by the guild meeting when I suddenly realized that at age 18 they were too old for her! My babies were too old!!! That makes me.....as I was processing this horrible realization, she asked our teacher a question that blew me away. "Could I bring two of my friends to the next guild meeting? They're 12 and want to learn to weave."

These fibre arts that we love so much are quite trendy with young people these days. My 13 year old guild mate is not an isolated incident. She's part of a trend. What's really touched me most is the absolute joy on the faces of the older guild members as these young people come to the meetings and take their first tentative steps towards becoming weavers, spinners and knitters. These people have buried husbands, sold their looms to go into retirement homes and struggled with aging eyes and hands that don't quite work so well when you need them to. Most importantly, they know that these arts aren't taught in schools or even within homes any more. They are the keepers of the crafts and these young people represent the future. This blanket was woven in four hours by a guild member in her eighties. You don't make magic like this in four hours without decades of practice and love.

We're seeing this passing of the torch in many ways and some of us are better sports about it than others. Some of our beloved magazines have a younger, hipper vibe. They feature designs flattering those in their twenties. A woman "of substance" wouldn't be caught dead in that stuff. The styling has an edge to it and everything comes with a hood. Ah, for the good old days when knits were classic and each issue of our favourite magazine had scores of patterns we couldn't wait to start! Drat that new editor. It just hasn't been the same since she took over.

We need to take a different view. Yes, things may be changing but if we're honest, so are we. Let's support those young designers and editors who are reinventing the craft. All of the designs may not be for us but if it brings new fibre artists into the fold - hurray! If you love knitting, weaving, spinning enough then you'll be wistful yet a little glad when next you look at a new set of designs. It's the way things should be. After all - every woman has three distinct stages to her life:

1. Babe
2. District Attorney
3. Driving Miss Daisy

Feeling Blue

We're in the bottom of the ninth inning of this long, cold winter. I have warm comforting projects - mostly in Alpaca chugging along. Roam has been ripped back and I'm almost back to where I was before. There's something about March however that makes me yearn for colour and this year - I'm all about the blues.

There are several young designers that I think have a true ability to create garments both fashionable and wearable. Connie Chang Chinchio is top of that list and her newest design Varese pullover gave me my latest "gotta have it" moment. I ordered the Silkie Wool 2 ply from One Planet Yarns and received the package Thursday. The yarn came beautifully wrapped with a sachet of loose tea and a tin of hand balm. What a nice touch! Connie's prototype was made in a chocolate shade but I've opted for the salt spray colour. It's grey, blue and pale aqua. The hand is to die for. I think this will be very wearable.

After paying a visit to Julie at the Needle Emporium last Friday. I also scooped up the latest Noro book "Flowers" by Jenny Watson. This lovely shrug cardigan caught my eye. It's made in Noro's new cotton/merino/silk blend yarn called Chirimen. A great all weather piece for cooler air conditioned buildings in the summer yet still appropriate all year round paired with chocolate trousers and a turtleneck.

I'm not sure what this obsession I'm having with shades of blue means in the greater scheme of things. To me it's all about blue skies and sunny days. Oh lord let them be just around the corner!

Phoebe's ready to frolick in the fields!

A Bad Seed

I'm thisclose to completing the main pieces of Roam. All that's left is the assembly, hood and finishing. I say "all" but we know that finishing can take as long as the darn knitting does. Psychologically however, it feels like the home stretch.

Imagine my chagrin (just cause I like saying chagrin) when I casually glanced at my knitting today as I was waiting for Sundance to finish his marital arts class and noticed THIS! If you look at the knitting beside the green lobster claw you'll see "where knitting attacked" (credit Knitmore Girls). For about 8 stitches I wasn't in seed mode - I was in rib mode. NUTS! That was a good 5 inches ago. I briefly considered dropping down the 8 stitches to reset them one by one but picking up seed stitch again appeals to me about as much as knitting more seed stitch does right now.

This yarn is Lisa Souza hand paint Mahogany colourway in Baby Alpaca Silk. I've been alternating skeins to ensure there's no pooling. I went to one skein only about the time this boo boo happened because I want to blend on the hood too and I'm concerned I won't have enough of the second skein left. I did get some pooling I wasn't pleased with so ripping back will allow me to mix again. I'll simply divide the last skein in half and alternated from either end.

There - if you have two good reasons to rip back it's not so bad...right?

NOT.

Princess - meet pumpkin


Well, I'm back to reality now. I look forward to Madrona Fiber Festival every year with the same anticipation I used to reserve for birthdays and Christmas. The flight there was smooth, weather for travel was great and the plane actually landed thirty minutes early.


The location (Tacoma Washington) is stunningly beautiful. The hotel is luxurious, the classes top notch and the market divine but it's the friends that are the best part. I took two full day classes this year with a day off in between. It was a nice pace - not overly rushed. On Wednesday, Hope and I went to the Museum of Glass accompanied by the talented Lucy Neatby. The glass artist in residence is Lino Tagliapietra and we had a chance to watch him work in the museum's hot room. I think I spent more money in the museum gift shop then I did on yarn but everything was on deep discount so I couldn't resist. I got a really cool brooch by this artist for $25. Apparently he designed a bracelet featured in the Sex in the City movie. The regular price was something like $145.


On Thursday, we took Judith McKenzie's spinning fat yarn class. Any spinner knows that once we train ourselves to spin thin yarn - it's hard to go back. There are so many great sweater designs now using chunky yarn that this is definitely a skill worth cultivating. Here she is demonstrating on her Tina II for the class. And yes - I was happy to get that lovely Wild Apple in the background of the shot.


Vanessa and I both brought our Wee Robins to the retreat and I must say that it traveled like a dream. I carried it as a back pack and it fit perfectly in the overhead bin on the plane. It was great to be able to have significant time to bond with it - I continue to be extremely happy with the yarns I'm making on it. On Friday Vanessa and I sat by the fire in the lobby for most of the afternoon and spun. Vanessa bought a sheep to shoe kit from BMFA and here she is spinning thread to make a 3 ply sock yarn. At one point it was so fine I couldn't see it in mid air. She's my spinning Sensei.


Friday was another Judith class on spinning silk. As always it was chuck full of great advice. I picked up a lazy kate called the Will Taylor / JMM Clever Kate . Here's a photo on another one on Flickr. The spokes come off for flat storage and packing which will be easier than lugging my arched Schacht lazy kate again. I also got her Mother McKenzie's dye kit which I can't wait to try out when the weather gets warm again (please tell me it will). I also snagged some pink, cream and taupe Kauni, Judith's new book the Intentional Spinner and some amazing Malabrigo sock yarn in a shade called Archangel.


It was so cool to wander the hotel and see knitting needles and spinning wheels in every corner. Isn't that the way every hotel should look? Here are Therese and Denise chatting (with her lovely Tina II wheel) and Hope wearing her hot off the needles Coco Knits sweater.


Sunday was my travel day back. Monday is a stat holiday here in Ontario so I spend the day locating an open grocery store and doing 10 loads of laundry. Back to reality - I guess the coach really does turn into a pumpkin at the end of the retreat but at least I know there's always next year.

A Looming Crisis

Seriously

Where the hell am I going to find room for a loom?

For those just joining us - I've been holding up the crucifix and garlic for several years now when it comes to the thought of weaving. I've been spinning for two years now and while spinning does require equipment - it's still somewhat portable which is why I like knitting.

Last September, I won a prize at the Five Counties Guild competition. It was a weaving shuttle. A beautiful rosewood hand carved shuttle by a wood worker in the Kitchener-Waterloo area named David Bell. Now I'm a sucker for beautiful wood so I started to think about weaving. As a member of the local weavers and spinners guild, I had access to alot of "bench strength" (all puns intended).

I signed up for an intro lesson last Monday. My teacher is a retired high school teacher so I'm in good hands. She let me wind some bobbins and then using her Gilmore loom I made 3 samplers just to see what it was like. My teacher had warped the loom already so it was easy. Here are some shots of my weaving attempts. You can see on the first section how my ends weren't very tight so it flares out a bit. Of course, now I'm hooked and beginning to ponder which loom would be best for me. I usually get tools that grow with me from the get-go. Since I've no extra space in this house, a loom that folds is a must. I'm thinking about 26" is the way to go. If I do anything wider, the guild looms are available.

I've been scoping out the Schacht Baby Wolf and the Louet Jane. I'm not familiar with the terminology enough to read the specs and understand them. If anyone has any bias one way or the other - I'm all ears.

Here are some shuttle glamour shots taken by my husband who's playing with his Nikon D80 I gave him for Christmas.

Here are some great night shots he took down by Niagara Falls. I love the one that shows the colours lights on the horseshoe falls.

Lastly - here's a shot of Phoebe. Yes, Flatcoats are a goofy breed - that's why they fit in well with our family.